Monday, 14 March 2011

Android games more lucrative and addictive than iOS?

Spacetime Studios, the developer behind Android and iOS game Pocket Legends, has spoken out about a massive disparity in the behavior of its mobile users. Not only do Android users play Pocket Legends three times as much as their iOS counterparts, but they also spend between 30 and 50% more on in-app purchases. "We've just been blown away. Android has become our primary interest," Gary Gattis, the CEO of Spacetime Studios, says.

If that wasn't odd enough, Android users also click ads three times as much as iOS users -- and ad clicks have a higher conversion rate on Android, too. "This led us to stop advertising on Apple and throw all of our marketing dollars onto Android," Gattis, says. "It really just makes sense from a financial point of view."

Trying to analyze this new data is difficult. The ad clicks and conversions is probably down to superior targeting by Google -- but why do Android users spend more on in-app purchases? Android doesn't even have a proper in-app purchase system yet! Similarly, why do Android users play the game three times as much as iOS users? The game is functionally identical on both platforms. It looks similar, too. It can only really be a fundamental difference in Android and iOS user demographics.